You Never Know What

A Week Can Bring

When you wake up on Monday morning you never know what the week will bring.    This week our family experienced the shock of a life time.    I had a Ultra Sound scheduled for Monday morning and by Friday afternoon I had been diagnosed with Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer with a life expectancy of about 6 months.    Obviously our family has been on a roller coaster ride of emotions, disbelief and confusion.   

I will be hopefully seeing an Oncologist this coming week to see what the options are.   This is going to be a journey like none other fraught with all sorts of unknowns, spiritual lessons and trials.     God does not abandon us in times like this, nor has He promised that we would not experience them.    Because my experience and what God teaches me through this might be helpful to others I will try to journal this journey both for the benefit of others and because it will be good therapy for me.     I'm thinking Mondays and Thursdays or Fridays I'll post something about the Journey we are experiencing.   

Today,  I preached from Luke 7:35-50 on what it means to love Jesus.    I left church immediately after the service and the following statement was read to our beloved congregation.    We are so blessed to have them at our side during a time like this.

March 1, 2014

Dear Parkway Family:

God has given me the pleasure of being your Pastor for these past 13 years. You have welcomed Wendy and I and our family with open arms. You are our church family and we love you all very, very, much. You know how hard we have worked and served among you for the cause of Christ and His people here at Parkway. Like Paul, we can say with sincerity, " So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us (1 Thessalonians 2:8).

But now it is apparent that we are in a season when we must call on our church family to support and hold us up.

As many of you know I have been feeling unusually tired since just before Christmas.    On a Doctors advice we went away to Florida a little earlier this month for some rest. Returning home and still feeling tired, I thought perhaps I had a bacterial infection that would require some antibiotics and I’d be as good as new. Such has not turned out to be the case.   Following a visit to our family Doctor on our return from Florida he ordered an Ultra Sound which I had on Monday of this past week.   That Ultra Sound revealed significant cancer on my liver, spleen and left kidney. He immediately scheduled me for a CT Scan which I had this past Thursday.

By Friday noon, the verdict was in. It has been confirmed that I have Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer.   The Pancreas is the primary site and the cancer has metastasized to the other organs.   Pancreatic Cancer is fast moving and deadly.   Apart from a miracle of God there is no cure and from this point, life expectancy is no more than 6 months.

We have not yet seen an Oncologist but hope to this coming week.   They will be able to give us a better take on exactly where we are in the disease and what if any treatment I should have.   Needless to say, this is a huge shock to our family and there are so many things swirling around in our heads at this time as we seek to come to grips with what is before us.

We are confident that the same God who has lead us all these years is the same God who will lead us in the frightful days ahead.   We remain steadfast in our faith in the goodness, the greatness and the loving care of our God.   We have many unanswered questions about what lies before us.    Though we do not know the answers to these questions we know to whom to take them.   He is our rock, our fortress, our strong tower to whom we run. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling (Psalm 46:1-3).

Right now we are numbed. We are simply allowing ourselves to feel the grief, the fear, the uncertainty with full confidence that we are in the Father’s care.    In the next few days and weeks we will need to make many decisions about Wendy’s future and regarding Amy and Tim.   I will need to know if it is advisable for me to make a planned trip to Cuba March 12-26 to say good bye to our friends and ministry partners there etc. etc.

We would appreciate your love, your hugs, and certainly your prayers.   You are our extended family and we know you will be there for us.   We do not want to burden you with our troubles but knowing your loving hearts we know you want to walk with us through this dark journey.   We can all pray for Divine healing that perhaps God would grant us this for His glory.   Would you pray that God would help us walk through this journey in a way that exalts the Lord Jesus and that God would give us, especially Wendy and our children, sustaining grace for wherever the journey takes us.

As long as God allows me, I intend to continue loving and shepherding the flock of God here at Parkway Bible Church and praying that together God would allow us to fulfill the Great Commissions in seeing people saved and becoming disciples of Jesus Christ to the Glory of God. May God bless and sustain you all.

Because of Calvary

Pastor RickRev. Rick Hayden

Senior Pastor: Parkway Bible Church